Brown well-stocked for Pilgrim, Miss Grillo
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown has swept the Pilgrim and Miss Grillo stakes each of the last two years and is in prime position to do so again Sunday when those Grade 3, $200,000 stakes are run at Belmont Park.
In the Pilgrim, for 2-year-old males, Brown sends out the uncoupled entry of Startup Nation and Offering Plan in the field of nine. In the Miss Grillo, for 2-year-old fillies, Brown sends out Partisan Politics, Lady Eli, and Tammy the Torpedo in the field of 12. While they run as separate betting interests, Tammy the Torpedo is coupled with the John Terranova-trained Greywalls because both are owned by Long Lake Stable.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Startup Nation and No. 5 Offering Plan. Trainer Chad Brown is 10-5-1-3 with a $3.36 ROI over the past five years with 2-year-olds in Belmont turf routes following a victory. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Though there are graded stakes at Keeneland for these divisions, Brown said he prefers the spacing from the Belmont races to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and Juvenile Fillies Turf, both scheduled for Oct. 31 at Santa Anita. Brown has a second and two thirds in the last two runnings of the Juvenile Turf. He has had runners finish second in each of the last two runnings of the Juvenile Fillies Turf, with Testa Rossi and Watsdachances, the last two winners of the Miss Grillo.
Startup Nation, a New York-bred son of Temple City, won both of his starts at Saratoga, including a last-to-first performance in the Grade 2 With Anticipation, which he won by 4 1/2 lengths.
“Normally, in their second start, a horse like that will lay a little closer [to the early pace] having that experience under his belt,” said Brown, who won last year’s Pilgrim with Bobby’s Kitten and the 2012 Pilgrim with Noble Tune. “I was a little concerned early laying that far back, but he showed that explosive move that he showed in his debut and really finished off the race nicely.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 All I Karabout. Trainer Ignacio Correas is 12-7-0-1 with a $8.53 ROI over the past five years with 2-year-olds in their start following a maiden victory. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Offering Plan, a New York-bred son of Spring at Last, made two moves in his race to win his debut by 1 1/2 lengths going 1 1/16 miles at Saratoga.
Partisan Politics heads the Brown trio in the Miss Grillo. After finishing third in her debut, she took a hard bump entering the first turn, and then raced three- to four-wide but finished very well down the lane to win by 2 3/4 lengths.
Lady Eli and Tammy the Torpedo were both maiden winners eight days apart at Saratoga.
Ancient Goddess and My Cara Mia loom the main threats to Brown in the Miss Grillo.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 11 My Cara Mia. Trainer Mitchell Friedman is 21-0-1-3 over the last five years going sprint to route on turf. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Pilgrim Stakes, race 9
KEY CONTENDERS
Startup Nation (Last 2 Beyers: 85-66)
◗ Ran two similar efforts, rallying from double-digit lengths back to beat New York-bred maidens on Aug. 7 and win the Grade 2 With Anticipation, a race in which he circled the field five wide.
“He’s got that big turn of foot, so he can make up a bunch of lengths in a hurry if he needs to,” Brown said.
Offering Plan (Debut Beyer: 67)
◗ Didn’t earn a flashy figure, but he made an impressive move to win debut. Last early, he made an inside move down the backside, had to steady and then go five wide and rally strongly in the stretch to get up.
“Huge turn of foot turning for home,” Brown said. “Down the backside he got stopped pretty good when he was making his first move, had to retreat out of there and go back to last and made another move late and ran terrific. I’m expecting him to take another step forward.”
Strong Coffee (Last 2 Beyers: 70-68)
◗ Won his debut by three lengths at Saratoga, a race that produced three next-out winners.
◗ Checked two different times when fourth behind Startup Nation in Grade 2 With Anticipation, where he was beaten 7 3/4 lengths.
◗ Gets Lasix for first time.
Miss Grillo Stakes, race 7
KEY CONTENDERS
Partisan Politics (First 2 Beyers: 78-68)
◗ She took a hard bump from Ancient Goddess entering first turn, and then rallied wide thereafter but finished full of run to win P.G. Johnson Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths.
Lady Eli (Debut Beyer: 72)
◗ Eager early, Lady Eli raced between horses down the backside and then was behind horses at the three-sixteenths pole before finding room and finishing with a flourish to nail Complicated in final jump.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Tammy the Torpedo and No. 9 Lady Eli. Trainer Chad Brown is 19-4-3-2 with a $0.94 ROI over the past five years with 2-year-olds in their second career start following a winning debut. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
“She had been working exceptionally well going into the race and she showed that big turn of foot that last part and really showed a lot of heart and determination to get up in her debut,” Brown said.
Tammy the Torpedo (Debut Beyer: 78)
◗ Despite breaking from the outside post, Joel Rosario got Tammy the Torpedo a pretty good two- to three-wide trip and this daughter of More Than Ready showed powerful turn of foot wining debut by 3 1/4 lengths.
“When you’re running a horse first time out you can’t ask for any more for them than to act that professional and run from start to finish the way she did,” Brown said.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Titanium Jo. Trainer Stephen DiMauro is 25-9-1-4 with a $7.46 ROI over the past five years with 2-year-olds in their start following a maiden victory. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan